Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Marion County Public Works recently “teamed up to clean up” a portion of the north fork of the Santiam River.

“This was Dep. Mark Ferron’s idea,” said Lt. Chris Baldrige, public information officer for MCSO. “Not only did he suggest it, but he started working with the public works and parks departments to get all the partners needed for
the project.”

Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office forest patrol, the Marion County Parks Department, and work crews from the Sheriff’s Office Transition Center worked for eight hours to remove trash, including tires and rubbish from parks, dumped in the areas of the North Fork Road SE, Pioneer Road SE and Gates Hill Road SE. In all, the team collected some 1,180 pounds of trash to be disposed of, MCSO reported.

“Challenges were just the sheer amount of trash and coming up with resources to remove it,” Baldrige said. “It’s a lot of work picking it up and putting it on trailers to be hauled to the transfer station and taken care of from there.”

Baldrige said his department encourages deputies to find solutions to problems that affect the communities they serve.Dep. Ferron covers North Fork for the department.

“You’ll see the Sheriff’s Office get involved in lots of these projects,” Baldrige said. “This was obviously very specific to Dep. Ferron’s area, and had a great impact on the residents who live there.”

Anyone who sees illegal dumping or may have information on illegal dumpers is asked to call the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 503-588-5032.